Reflection On Luther College's Counseling Service

Leaving Blog:

As this year comes to a close. I reflect on my time spent working as an outreach assistant for Luther College’s Counseling Service. I have learned so much about mental health and strategies to live a healthy life. I definitely grown in many ways, however one of the biggest ways I have grown and learned how to foster a better way of taking care of my mental health has been in fostering self-care. Throughout my time at Luther I have made so many great memories and I believe I accomplished a lot of goals I set out for myself. That being said I also believe that I was involved in many organizations and participated in so many activities to the extent that I get the feeling some of my friends that go to and other schools and the

At Luther College I truly feel the intent for students is to push us to be the best we can be and get as much learning out of our education as we possible can. This however does not have to come at the expense of self-care. The lack of self-care I was giving to myself quickly came to my attention when I joined the counseling services team and it changed me for the better. My Junior year I was involved with the most activities I had ever participated in, I was on Student Senate, in collegiate choir, on a committee, on a council, I sang in vocal Jazz and I participated in 3 other organizations just to name my extra-curricular activities excluding my work and school load. When we starting tabling to spread awareness of good and effective coping skills and self-care, I was reminded of how I was applying what I was promoting in my own life and realized I needed to be a little better. I started taking more time out for myself, to watch Netflix for an hour or made sure I worked out. I learned that saying no to things that will push and stretch your schedule to the max and cause stress is okay. This was the hardest part of my self-care because I truly wanted to do it all. I wanted to be there for my friends’ co-workers and professors

As soon as I began to balance my schedule of work, school, friends I began to feel better; I started doing better in my studies, I spent more time with friends, I was able to complete my job assignments better, I felt more relaxed and most importantly my stressed was reduced and I felt more like myself. Practicing self-care made me happy. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have not mastered self-care yet, I still believe I have some improving to do. When stakes are high and my schedule is busier than usual, I still struggle with keeping my self-care regiments a priority. I still feel guilty at times for spending an hour “wasting time on social media” or napping with my boyfriend when I “could be doing homework” or attending a presentation of meeting, but then again this is how I take a break to care for myself. I remind myself that I don’t have to feel guilty for taking care of decompressing, practicing self-care, and myself. I still struggle, however I am proud to say that self-care has just become a little more ingrained in me and I believe it is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned throughout my time at Luther. I will take this gem with me as I move on to my next journey beyond Luther and my hope is that if anything throughout your time at Luther College you get to experience the gift of